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Learning resources

Design and make a winged sculpture

Study for a Sculpture
© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Photo credit: Jerwood Collection

Study for a Sculpture 1961

Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003)

Jerwood Collection

About this resource

How are shape, form and balance used in design to create dynamic structures?

Investigate form, structure and balance by analysing the sculptures of artist Lynn Chadwick. Then test students' engineering skills by tasking them with designing and making a winged sculpture inspired by Chadwick's Stranger VII.

Use this resource to encourage students to:

  • look closely and analyse artworks
  • explore the work of British artist Lynn Chadwick
  • investigate form, balance and stability in structures
  • experiment with materials and develop making skills

The Art and Design / Design and Technology resource offers a series of activities that can be used together as a lesson plan or as individual components to integrate into your own scheme of work. It was devised for Key Stage 3/CfE Levels 3 & 4 but may also suit Key Stage 4/CfE Senior phase students. It could also be adapted for KS 2 students.

Curriculum links

Art and design
- Produce creative work
- Become proficient in sculpture and design techniques
- Evaluate and analyse creative works
- Know about great artists and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms
- Actively engage in the creative process of art, craft and designs
- Develop and refine ideas and proposals
- Develop an awareness of the purposes, intentions and functions of art, craft and design

Design and technology
- Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
- Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
- Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others

Art and design
- Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources
- Refine work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes
- Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions as work progresses
- Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language

Design and technology
- Use imagination and develop skills of creativity and critical analysis through making links between existing solutions, technological knowledge and the principles of good design
- Communicate design ideas and decisions using a range of media and techniques
- Use a broad range of materials, components and technologies, as well as practical skills, to develop and produce high-quality, imaginative and functional prototypes
- Consider aesthetic and technical dimensions when engaged in design and making

Art and design
- I have experimented with a range of media and technologies to create images and objects, using my understanding of their properties (EXA 3-02a)
- While working through a design process in response to a design brief, I can develop and communicate imaginative design solutions (EXA 3-06a)
- I can respond to the work of artists and designers by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comment on my own and others' work (EXA 3-07a)
- I have continued to experiment with a range of media and technologies handling them with control and assurance to create images and objects. I can apply my understanding of the properties of media and of techniques to specific tasks (EXA 4-02a)
- By working through a design process in response to a design brief, I can develop and communicate imaginative and original design solutions (EXA 4-06a)
- I can analyse art and design techniques, processes and concepts, make informed judgements and express considered opinions on my own and others' work (EXA 4-07a)

Technologies
- I can create solutions in 3D and 2D and can justify the construction/graphic methods and the design features. (TCH 3-09a)
- I can explore the properties and performance of materials before justifying the most appropriate material for a task (TCH 3-10a)
- I can apply a range of graphic techniques and standards when producing images using sketching, drawing and software (TCH 3-11a)
- I can apply my knowledge and understanding of engineering disciplines and can develop/build solutions to given tasks (TCH 3-12a)
- I can apply design thinking skills when designing and manufacturing models/products (TCH 4-9a)
- I consider the material performance as well as the sustainability of materials and apply these to real world tasks (TCH 4-10a)
- I can extend my use of manual and digital graphic techniques to realise ideas, concepts and products (TCH 4-11a)
- I can solve problems through the application of engineering principles (TCH 4-12a)

Art and design
- Students use their knowledge about the work of other artists to enrich and inform their work through analysis and evaluation
- Students use a variety of processes
- Students evaluate their work through discussion

Design and Technology

Pupils should be given opportunities to:

- use given design briefs, and where appropriate, develop their own to clarify their ideas for products
- identify and use appropriate sources of information to help generate and develop their ideas for products
- be creative and innovative in their thinking when generating ideas for their products
- explore, develop and communicate design ideas in a range of ways, including annotation, drawings and CAD, e.g. clip art libraries, internet resources, scanners, digital cameras
- model and refine their design ideas in 3-D form where appropriate
- develop the skills to select and work with a range of materials and ingredients to make products in a variety of contexts
- use hand and machine tools/utensils, and a range of equipment and processes, to mix, shape, form and join materials and ingredients
- be creative in finding alternative ways of making if the first attempt is not achievable

Expressive Arts

Exploring the expressive arts is essential to developing artistic skills and knowledge and it enables learners to become curious and creative individuals.

Progression step 4:

I can explore and experiment with my own and others’ creative ideas, demonstrating increasingly complex technical control, innovation, independent thinking and originality to develop my work with confidence, being able to explain my reasons behind choices made and evaluate their effectiveness on my creative work

I can explore creative work, understanding the personal, social, cultural and historical context, including the conventions of the period in which it was created.

I can investigate and understand how meaning is communicated through the ideas of other artists and performers.

Progression step 5:

I can explore and experiment with my own creative ideas and those of others, demonstrating technical control, innovation, independent thinking and originality, showing confidence to take risks and developing resilience in order to overcome creative challenges.

I can investigate and analyse how creative work is used to represent and celebrate personal, social and cultural identities.

Responding and reflecting, both as artist and audience, is a fundamental part of learning in the expressive arts. 

Progression step 4:

I can effectively evaluate my own creative work and that of others showing increasing confidence to recognise and articulate strengths, and to demonstrate resilience and determination to improve.

I can apply knowledge and understanding of context when evaluating my own creative work and creative work by other people and from other places and times.

I can evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of artistic techniques in producing meaning.

Progression step 5:

I can critically and thoughtfully respond to and analyse the opinion and creative influences of others in order to independently shape and develop my own creative work.

I can critically evaluate the way artists use discipline-specific skills and techniques to create and communicate ideas. 

I can critically evaluate the way artists use discipline-specific skills and techniques to create and communicate ideas. 

Creating combines skills and knowledge, drawing on the senses, inspiration and imagination.

Progression step 4:

I can use my experimentation and investigation to manipulate creative work with purpose and intent when communicating my ideas.

I can apply specialised technical skills in my creative work.

I can purposefully use my design skills and apply a range of solutions to clarify and refine final creative ideas.

I can draw upon my experiences and knowledge to inform and develop strategies to overcome creative challenges with imagination and resilience.

Progression step 5:

I can synthesise and apply experience, knowledge and understanding with sophistication and intent when communicating my ideas.

I can use professionally established, discipline-specific techniques confidently and convincingly in my creative work and work towards industry standard.

I can design creative outcomes to professional and industry-standard with sophistication, clear purpose and intent.

I can use effective strategies to take risks with my own creative work and can display resilience to overcome creative challenges.

Science and technology

Design thinking and engineering offer technical creative ways to meet society's needs and wants

Progression step 4:

I can investigate and draw inspiration from historical, cultural and other sources to design creative solutions.

I can identify and prioritise factors which inform my design proposals.

I can develop my design thinking to test and refine my design decisions by responding to success and failure.

I can develop my knowledge and skills to support and refine my design decisions in order to produce purposeful outcomes.

I can adopt an iterative process to improve my design proposals.

I can investigate, evaluate, select and combine component parts, materials or processes to improve the functionality and effectiveness of my outcomes.

I can use prototyping techniques to test ideas and support my making.

I can use my making skills and knowledge of materials to produce high-quality and purposeful outcomes.

Progression step 5:

I can investigate, analyse and draw inspiration from historical, cultural and other sources to design new proposals that add value.

I can tackle challenging problems, independently and collaboratively, to address wider design requirements in increasingly unfamiliar contexts.

I can prioritise and justify multiple design factors to improve the effectiveness of my design decisions.

I can fluently use design thinking, including my successes and failures, to test and refine my design decisions.

I can identify when I need to seek out new knowledge and skills to support and refine my design decisions in order to produce purposeful outcomes.

I can independently select, justify and combine component parts, materials and processes to improve functionality and can evaluate their impact on the effectiveness of my outcomes.

I can independently select and apply low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototyping to test ideas, materials and structures.

I can use my making skills and knowledge of materials to produce high-quality and effective outcomes.

I can apply and justify responsible habits of working which take into account impacts on the environment and society.

Introduction

This resource is based on an Art UK Masterpieces in Schools workshop led by artist Zoë Allen with Year 10 students at Jesmond Park Academy in Newcastle upon Tyne. The students explored the sculpture Stranger VII, which is in the collection of the Laing Art Gallery.

Stranger VII

Stranger VII

bronze by Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003). Year 10 students from Jesmond Park Academy, Newcastle upon Tyne, view the sculpture on loan from the Laing Art Gallery

Stranger VII is a large bronze sculpture created in 1959 by British sculptor Lynn Chadwick. The sculpture combines human and bird forms.

Lynn Chadwick is known for his spikey angular abstractions of hybrid human and animal figures and insect-like creatures. Many of the sculptures are winged figures with large ungainly bodies that balance on spindly legs.

Influences and inspirations

During the Second World War, Chadwick flew Swordfish biplanes across the Atlantic. These anti-submarine torpedo bombers were a key weapon in protecting merchant shipping from German U-boats. His experience of flying is likely to have been an influence on his repeated depiction of winged figures. Many of these winged sculptures, like Stranger VII, have double-wing forms inspired by the distinctive boxy double wings of biplanes.

Stranger VII, 1959

Stranger VII, 1959 1959

Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003)

Laing Art Gallery

Chadwick's early training as an architect also influenced his sculptures. In his work we see him experimenting with structure and stability, often using geometric shapes as the basis of his sculptures.

Let's analyse the sculpture

First impressions

Look at and discuss Lynn Chadwick's sculpture Stranger VII as a class. (More views of the sculpture can be found on the artwork page.)

Stranger VII, 1959

Stranger VII, 1959 1959

Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003)

Laing Art Gallery

Ask students to discuss their first impressions of the sculpture.

  • Describe the sculpture.
  • What does it make you think of or feel?
  • What is the mood of the sculpture?
  • What words would you use to describe it?

Teacher notes

The sculpture depicts an abstracted figure with huge, rectangular wings and skinny legs.

Many of Chadwick's sculptures from this period have a menacing, foreboding atmosphere. Made after the Second World War, they are often interpreted as reflecting the distress and trauma caused by the war.

The term 'Geometry of Fear' was coined by art critic Herbert Read in response to the sculptures of Chadwick and other post-war artists including Kenneth Armitage, Reg Butler and Eduardo Paolozzi. Their work is characterised by spiky, tortured-looking animal and human figures with textured, pocked and battered surfaces.

Archaic Head II

Archaic Head II 1952

Reg Butler (1913–1981)

National Galleries of Scotland
 

Form and balance

Now ask students to look at the form of Stranger VII and how it is balanced. 

  • Look at the sculpture from top to bottom and side to side.
  • Would you describe the form as balanced?
  • Are the different parts of the sculpture of equal size and shape?
  • How has Chadwick ensured that the sculpture doesn't topple over?

Teacher notes

The sculpture looks top-heavy, with the winged body appearing too heavy for the thin legs that support it. In designing his sculptures, Chadwick often pushes the structural limitations of balance and stability with large forms balanced precariously on delicate bases or legs.

Chadwick has ensured that the structure and weight of the horizontal wings are balanced equally on either side of the central vertical figure. He has also created a small base to support the spindly legs. This helps to make the sculpture more stable.

Chadwick's early training may have fed into this interest in balance:

  • The Swordfish biplanes he flew during the war, were launched from makeshift aircraft carriers and it took great skill and poise to land the planes on the tiny boats, with balance and timing essential.
  • Early in his working career, after training as an architect, Chadwick designed and made hanging mobiles for exhibition stands. His earliest sculptures were mobiles – reflecting his interest and early experimentation with balancing structures.

Mobile

Mobile 1950

Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003)

Leeds Museums and Galleries

Balance and counter-balance

Learning from his experience of designing mobiles, Chadwick often made use of counterbalance in his sculptures. Some of his sculptures stand at such precarious-looking angles they look as if they will surely fall over!

Beast XXI

Beast XXI 1959

Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003)

The Whitworth, The University of Manchester

Beast, an angular animal figure, has a large body balanced on thin legs. The legs are placed far back along the length of the body, adding dynamism to the sculpture (it looks as if it is about to leap!). But this placement of the legs at the back of the body makes the sculpture look unstable.

  • Ask students to analyse how Chadwick has ensured the sculpture is stable
  • How do the angles and placement of the legs counterbalance the front weight of the animal?

Teacher notes

You could demonstrate weight and balance simply, by asking students to try balancing a pencil on their outstretched finger. Point out that the pencil needs to have an equal length on either side of the finger for it to balance. Now add a blob of blu tack to one end of the pencil.

  • How does this change the balance?
  • How far do you have to move the pencil for it to balance again?

Shapes, structure and strength

As his career developed, Chadwick was commissioned to make outdoor sculptures. The shapes of these needed to be strong enough to sustain a larger size – and the elements!

Chadwick's sculptural forms are essentially built around triangles and 3D triangular shapes – he made use of the stability and strength of tripods, cones and pyramids in designing his sculptures. He also often joined triangles together to create cuboid 3D forms.

This sculpture is a maquette (or model) for a larger sculpture called Moon of Alabama. 

Maquette I for 'Moon of Alabama' II

Maquette I for 'Moon of Alabama' II 1957–1958

Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003)

National Galleries of Scotland

The sculpture has tripod legs with the legs placed on the outer edges of the sculpture to ensure it is stable. The web of interlocking triangles that Chadwick uses to create its bulbous form is similar to the construction principles used by Buckminster Fuller in his designs for self-supporting domes.

Techniques and materials

Ask students to look closely at the structure and surface of another winged sculpture by Lynn Chadwick, and to discuss how they think it was made.

Maquette: Winged Female Figure

Maquette: Winged Female Figure 1957

Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003)

The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art

  • Look at the lines and planes visible on the surface of the sculpture. Does this provide any clues about how the sculpture was made?
  • Describe the texture of the sculpture.
  • What do you think the sculpture is made from?

Teacher notes

Chadwick used a linear framework of steel rods to create his sculptures. He welded the rods to join them together so that they radiated out to form a cage-like armature. If you look closely at many of his sculptures, you will see that the lines of the armature are visible, making the figures and beasts look as if they have an exoskeleton. 

He then filled the voids and planes of the armature with an industrial material called Stolit – a mix of iron filings and plaster. Once this had hardened, he could create his desired texture by either carving into it or sanding it down to a smooth surface.  

Chadwick often cast these Stolit and iron structures in bronze so that they were more hardwearing and permanent.

Activity: design and make a winged sculpture

Task outline

For this activity, students will make a winged sculpture that explores form, structure and balance. The sculpture will need to be stable and stand on its own without support.

They will make an armature that outlines the structure in 3D, and then use plaster (or other materials) to fill the armature and create the solid form of the sculpture.

Materials

Students will need:

  • paper and drawing materials (charcoal or pencil or brush and ink)
  • dowelling or strong modelling straws (to create the structure)
  • clay (or masking or sticky tape to attach the dowelling/straws together)
  • plaster
  • scrim or cloth

Students could also use other materials – such as sticks or twigs (or cardboard tubes and plastic bottles from the recycling bin) – for the armature. Corrugated cardboard, plastic bags, old textiles or papier-mâché can be used to help create a solid body for the sculpture.

Method

Step 1. Be inspired

(Teachers note: this step could be set as a homework task.)

  • Look again at Lynn Chadwick's winged sculptures for inspiration.
  • Look at winged sculptures by other artists on Art UK. (Try typing 'winged' into the search box.)
  • You could also explore images of birds and insects to analyse the shapes and structure of their wings.

Make sketches relating to your research in your sketchbook. Annotate the images with notes about the structure of the sculptures and any ideas they give you about how you could approach your winged sculpture.

You could also make notes about the shapes, textures and movement of bird and insect wings.

Step 2. Plan your sculpture

Draw a design for your winged sculpture.

  • Make the shape of your sculpture as dynamic as possible.
  • Think about the form of your sculpture, and how it will balance.
  • Think about what an armature for the sculpture might look like and draw this framework.

Jesmond Park Academy students sketch their ideas in charcoal

Jesmond Park Academy students sketch their ideas in charcoal

Lynn Chadwick often 'drew' his sculptures in three dimensions using steel rods. But he also made sketches of his sculptures (often after they were finished). In this sketch, he suggests the sculpture's three-dimensional form as well as its texture – and its mood!

  • Using Chadwick's drawing technique as inspiration, imagine how your sculpture might look and the effect you want it to have on the viewer. Try to put this across in your planning drawings.

Study for a Sculpture

Study for a Sculpture 1961

Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003)

Jerwood Collection

Step 3. Make an armature

Make an armature for your sculpture using wooden rods or dowelling.

You could also use wire, twigs, sticks or strong modelling straws. (Another option would be to use plastic bottles and cardboard tubes to create an armature.)

Use clay, plasticine or sticky tape to attach the rods together. 

Students begin to build their sculptures using wooden sticks and clay

Students begin to build their sculptures using wooden sticks and clay

Your armature will need to be strong and stable to support the material that will be added to the sculpture.

  • Think about the angles and shapes that you create.
  • Think about the legs of your creature or how it will stand. (Some of Chadwick's sculptures have three legs rather than two – does this make the sculpture more stable?). It may take a bit of experimentation…

Step 4. Build up the form of your sculpture

Add a plaster covering. In the workshop, students used scrim dipped in plaster to cover their sculpture, draping the scrim over the armature to create body and texture.

Zöe supports a student to wrap their sculpture in bandage and apply plaster

Zöe supports a student to wrap their sculpture in bandage and apply plaster

If you want to avoid plaster, you could use papier-mâché.

If you are using modelling straws for your armature, fabric or paper would be a lighter alternative to attach to your armature. Use fabrics or papers with a range of textures.

(Chadwick was inspired by the structures of biplanes which were constructed by stretching canvas – and later thin sheets of metal – over a frame. So attaching fabric or card to your armature would be in keeping with Chadwick's ideas!)

A sculpture design inspired by a hot air balloon

A sculpture design inspired by a hot air balloon

Step 5. Finishing touches

You could add more texture once your plaster has dried by cutting or scratching grooves and marks into the surface of your sculpture.

Or consider using paint to add texture and drama to your sculpture. (Use black or a dark colour for that bronze Geometry of Fear look!)

Related resources

Sculpture near you: 'Angel of the North'
Laura Ford's mixed media sculptures
Animals and us: Kenny Hunter's animal sculptures
Create a wire hybrid creature

Stories

  • Trying to Find You 1
    'Scuttling across the floors of silent seas': revisiting the sculptures of the Geometry of Fear 12 June 2020, Julia Carver
  • Kenneth Armitage (1916–2002), bronze with a green patina, unique
    In Their Own Words: Artist Voices from The Ingram Collection 10 July 2017, Jo Baring
  • Warrior Birds
    Elisabeth Frink: a sculptor's drawings 25 April 2017, Jo Baring
  • Bomb Store: Study for Memorial Panel I
    Exhibition highlights from 'The Impact of War' 1 January 2014, Jo Baring
  • The Watchers
    Help find missing public art 18 December 2015, Katey Goodwin
  • Elisabeth Frink with 'Lying Down Horse', France, 1969
    Sculpting Lives podcast: Elisabeth Frink 1 April 2020, Jo Baring and Sarah Turner

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